A conventional shadow mask type color CRT generally comprises an evacuated envelope having therein a luminescent screen with phosphor elements of three different emissive colors arranged in color groups, in a cyclic order, means for producing three convergent electron beams directed towards the screen, and a color selection structure, such as a masking plate, between the screen and the beam-producing means. The masking plate acts as a parallax barrier that shadows the screen. The differences in the convergence angles of the incident electron beams permit the transmitted portions of the beams to excite phosphor elements of the correct emissive color. A drawback of the shadow mask type CRT is that the masking plate, at the center of the screen, intercepts all but about 18-22% of the beam current; that is, the masking plate is said to have a transmission of only about 18-22%. Thus, the area of the apertures in the plate is about 18-22% of the area of the masking plate. Since there are no focusing fields associated with the masking plate, a corresponding portion of the screen is excited by the electron beams.
In order to increase the transmission of the color selection electrode without increasing the size of the excited portions of the screen, post-deflection focusing color selection structures are required. The focusing characteristics of such structures permit larger aperture openings to be utilized to obtain greater electron beam transmission than can be obtained with the conventional shadow mask. One such structure is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. SHO 39 25981by Sony, published on Nov. 6, 1964. In that structure, mutually orthogonal lead wires are attached at their crossing points by insulators to provide large window openings through which the electron beams pass. One drawback of such a structure is that the cross wires offer little shielding to the insulators so that the deflected electron beams will strike and electrostatically charge the insulators. The electrostatically charged insulators will distort the paths of the electron beams passing through the window openings, causing misregister of the beams with the phosphor screen elements. Another drawback of the structure described in the Japanese patent is that mechanical breakage of an insulator would permit an electrical short circuit between the crossed grid wires. Another color selection electrode focusing structure that overcomes some of the drawbacks of the above-described Japanese patent Publication is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,499, issued on Apr. 17, 1984 to Lipp. The structure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,499 utilizes a masking plate having a thickness of about 0.15 mm (6 mils) with a plurality of rectangular apertures therethrough as the first electrode. Metal ridges separate the columns of apertures. The tops of the metal ridges are provided with a suitable insulating coating. A metallized coating overlies the insulating coating to form a second electrode that provides the required electron beam focusing when suitable potentials are applied to the masking plate and to the metallized coating. Alternatively, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,435, issued on Mar. 17, 1987 to Tamutus, a metal masking plate, which forms the first electrode, is etched from one surface to provide parallel trenches in which insulating material is deposited and built up to form insulating ridges. The masking plate is further processed by means of a series of photoexposure, development, and etching steps to provide apertures between the ridges of insulating material that reside on the support plate. Metallization on the tops of the insulating ridges forms the second electrode. The two U.S. Patents described above eliminate the problem of electrical short circuits between the spaced apart conductors that was a drawback in the prior Japanese structure; however, the apertured masking plates of the U.S. patents each have cross members of substantial dimension that reduce the electron beam transmission. Additionally, the thickness of the masking plates is such that deflected electrons will still impinge upon and electrostatically charge the ridges of insulating material. Thus, a need exists for a focus mask structure that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior structures.